Machine for driving tubes into heels



Dec. 3, 1935. T, EN E 2,022,763

MACHINE FOR DRIVING TUBES INTO HEELS Filed Oct. 14, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORN EY Filed Oct. 14, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 50 INVENTOR' 5 Wan Dec. 3, 1935. v GEN-LE 2,022,763

MACHINE FOR DRIVING TUBES INTO HEELS Filed Oct. 14, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR f/WA 1% M 4 ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 3, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MACHINE FOR DRIVING TUBES INTO HEELS Application October 14,

23 Claims.

This invention relates to the driving of tubes into wooden heels, and is illustrated as embodied in a machine for making heels of the type illustrated in United States Letters Patent No.

1,725,810, granted August 2'7, 1929, on the joint application of Fred Maccarone and myself.

The patent referred to discloses a wood heel having a triangular tube inserted in its top-lift end. This tube receives a closely fitting shank attached to a top-lift, which is designed to be replaceable. The top-lift shank is longitudinally notched from its inside end for a part of its length, and the tube in the heel is correspondingly indented, the indentation spreading the sides of the notch to make the shank engage the interior of the tube firmly.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a machine which will take plain tubes, and drive them into previously drilled heels. To this end I have provided a machine having a heel supporting means, a tube holding means, and a tube driver arranged to insert a tube in a heel supported on the supporting means. In accordance with an important feature of the invention means is provided for indenting the tubes as they are driven. Inasmuch as, while the tubes may vary in length, the top-lift shanks are preferably all alike, means is provided for insuring that the indentation, formed will always 30 be at the same distance from the outside end of the tube, irrespective of the length of the tube, to enable it to cooperate properly with the toplift shank.

Accordingly, in the illustrated machine Ihave provided a driving tool and an indenting .tool, with provision for adjustment between them so that the outside or following end of a tube to be driven may always be presented to the indenting tool in the same relation, irrespective of the length of the tube.

These and other features of the invention'com prising certain combinations and arrangements of parts will be apparent from'the following descriptionof a preferred embodment of the invention shown in the drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation;

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan of the'top-lift end locat- ..ing device;

Figs. 4 and 5 are rear elevations of the transfer member; I a

Fig. 6 is a section on the line VI--VI of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is abroken away view of the heel, tube and driver; and

1932, Serial No. 637,735

Fig. 8 is a section on the line VIII-VIII of Fig. ,7.

The frame ID has mounted on its lower portion .a standard l2 bearing a vertical screw I4 which is adjustable by means of a hand nut I6. 5 At the upper end of the screw I 4 is a toothed segment 18 which is angularly adjustable about a horizontal axis 20. This segment is adapted to contact with and. support the attaching face of a heel 22having a hole 24 into which it is pro- 10 posed to drive a tube 28 (see Fig. 7). The upper part of the frame carries a horizontal shaft 28 driven by a pulley 38 through a one revolution clutch 32 operated by a convenient treadle (not shown). The operative end of the shaft 28 car- 15 ries a disk 34.

On the rear side of the disk is a stud 36 carrying an anti-friction roll upon which rests a ball 38 the ends of which carry two rods ,40, 42 sliding in guides 44 on the frame. These rods carry 20 collars 46.which confine springs 48 between them and the guides 44, the springs tending to force the rods 46, 42 downwardly. At the lower end of the rods 49 and 42 is carried a plate 50, which has a hole 5| in it, large enough to permit pas- 25 sage of the driver and tube, as will be described below (see also Fig. 3, which shows a bottom plan view of the mechanism mounted on the plate 56). This plate has a screw 52 threaded into an ear 54 thereon by means of which a plate 30 56 is slidably adjustable along the plate 50. .The plate 56 has a slideway in which a plate 58 is adjustable transversely to the axis of the screw 52 by means ofthumb screws 60, 62. The .plate 53 is deeply notched at 64. The plate 50 also 35 carries a ribiiii into which a screw 68 is threaded by means of which a slide bar 19 is adjustable parallel to the axis of the screw 52. Two rods'12 are slidably mounted in the bar .10 and carry on their endsabar 74. The rods 12 are surrounded 40 by springs which tend tosepara'te the bar '10 and the bar 74. The edges of the notch Bfi and that edge-of the bar 14 which facesthenotch 64 arebeveled or rounded off at 16 so that when the mechanism shown in Fig. 3 is forced downwardly upon the top-lift end of the heel 22 the bar 14 will be wedged away from the plate 58 and its edge and the edges of the notch 64' will embrace and hold the toplift end of the heel 22, aslshown 50 in Fig. 3. The top-lift end of the heel then abuts uponth platefifl. The heelwill thus be firmly supported on the segment l8 against vertical pressures, and gaged relatively to the driving tool.

A driver 18 is removably mounted in a'block 65 55 2 in the frame.

8i? which is arranged to slide vertically in the frame of the machine; The block 85 is pivotally connected at B2 to a link 8 1 which is adjustable in'length by means of a right and left screw at 85 and has its other end pivoted at 83 to a stud mounted on the front side of the disk 35. The rotation of the disk will therefore move the driver '38 up and down. The driver It has a reduced portion cs at its lower end marked ofi by a shoulder 92 in the shank of the driver. The portion 98 is shaped in cross-section like the cross-section of the tube 23 which it is proposed to drive into the heel. The illustrated tube is triangular.

The reduced portion 96 has a groove 92a along its rear side for a purpose which will be now explained. A chisel Ed is mounted to slide horizontally forward and back in the frame of the machine. It has a beveled rear end 96, its front end 98 bearing the chisel edge. This chisel is forced toward the line of action of the driver by a beveled end I93 on a plunger it? which is normally forced upwardly by a spring 1'04 and slides in a slideway 336 in the frame. The plunger E82 is driven downwardly by a cam I88 adjustably mounted on the disk 34. The drive is so timed that the chisel as is thrust toward the driver I8 as it is moving a sleeve in the presser member to be described past the chisel end 53,

thus forming a depression or indentation iii) in the tube '26 as it' is carried downward by the driver.

It is desirable that the indentation I Ill be made in the tube at a definite distance from its outer end (when in the heel) in order that it may cooperate properly with the slot in the top-lift shank. The adjustment at 86 permits the relative timing of the chisel movement and the movement of the driver so that the chisel and the shoulder 92 will be in the desired relation at the instant of indentation. Inasmuch as the shoulder 82 contacts with the end of the tube and supplies the driving pressure, the indentation I I0 will be formed at the right distance from the end of the heel.

The tubes 26 are fed to the driver through a raceway H2 having a groove in it shaped to fit the outside of the tubes so that they will be delivered to the driver with a fiat side to the rear, as seen in Fig. 2. As they run down the raceway H2 they run into a transfer member Ii-i, see more particularly Figs. 4, 5, and 6. This transfer member lid is a cylinder oscillating around a horizontal axis in a block I I6 mounted The rear end of the cylinder is recessed, the recess having a Y-like formation.

This recess has one straight wall II8 extending positions shown in Figs. 4 and 5 by mechanism' which will be later described.

' I0 ,1 The recess in the transfer member has its rear side closed by a fiat surface I32 on the frame of the machine. This surface E32 and the walls I I8 and I22 make an easy working fit with the sleeve 22. When the transfer member isin the posig5 ition shown in Fig.4, the line of tubesle l, I36

slides down until the lower tube I34 comes against the surface of the circular bore in the block H6 in which the member H4 is mounted. When the transfer member is rotated counterclockwise,

as seen from the front of V the machine, to the 5 position shown in Fig. 5, the second tube I36 falls on to the shoulder I33 and is thus kept from interfering with the tube :34 which has; been turned into a Vertical position for driving. The tube in this position is prevented from fall- 10 ing out of the transfer member by a notched member i38 which slightly overlaps the end of the tube and has the edges of its notch beveled so that downward pressure of the tube will force it to slide backward against a spring Mil, thus 15 allowingthe tube to pass through. This lug I38 is supported by a plate 42 on the machine frame.

It will be readily seen that when the machine is tripped the driver it and plate 56 will begin to descend. The plate 5% descends upon the heel 20 22 and firmly clamps and gages its top-lift end in position under the driver. The driver I8 descends through a hole I it in the block H6 and enters the tube l3 l which abuts the shoulder 92 at the end of the reduced portion 853 of'the 25 driver. The driver thus lowers and guides or supports the tube 534 and as the cam I38 comes around and presses down on the end of the plunger IE2 the chisel edge 98 is actuated to crush the rear side of the tube into the depression 92a. 3&5 in the driver, thus forming the inwardly directed, rib Ilfi in the tube. Further movement of the disk 3d releases the chisel es and forces the tube; downward into the heel 22. The height of the: heel support i8 is adjusted by the screw I4 so 35! that the top-lift end of the heel will just register with the shoulder 92 when the driver is in its lowest position.

The transfer member H4 is controlled as follows. The stud mounted in the disk 34 at 8B 4 has pivoted upon its extremity a link I48 having a long slot I50 in it the upper end of which embraces the stud at 88. This link is pivoted at I to a lever I62 pivoted at I64 on the machine frame. The other end I66 of the link is pivoted 45:.- to a link I68, the other end of which link is pivoted to a pin I10 on the transfer member II4. This pin I'Hl and a similar pin I'IZ work in arcshaped slots in the block I 16, as shown in Fig. 2. The pin H2 is connected to a pin I14 on the 50..- frame by a spring I16. The spring thus tends to move the transfer member into the position shown in Fig. 5, that is, the driving position. When the machine is in stopped position, as shown in Fig. 2, the stud 88 has pulled the link 55 I48 to its uppermost position, thus pulling the transfer member clockwise, as seen from the front of the machine, into the position shown in Fig. 4, against the spring pull. As the disk 34 starts to revolve the stud 88 releases the link I48 and the 00' spring I It begins to pull the transfer member intothe position shown in Fig. 5, which it reaches before the reduced portion 90 of the driver or the chisel 98 have engaged the sleeve I34 then in the transfer member. The transfer member remains in the position shown in Fig. 5 until the driver has descended, inserted the tube in the heel, and rises again out of the transfer member, that is, until the stud 88 has nearly reached its uppermost position. The stud 88 then turns i i the transfer member into the Fig. 4 position, perraised in a similar way. The stud 36 lifts the is bail 38 and the plate 50 is raised as the stud 36 approaches its uppermost position, as shown in Fig. 2. The operator can then remove the heel 22 and substitute a new one.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a machine for driving tubes into heels, a heel support, a tube holder, a member arranged to enter the interior of a tube and to support an inside wall thereof, a tube driving tool, and a tube indenting tool.

2. In a machine for driving tubes into heels, a heel holder, a tube holder, means arranged to enter the interior of a tube in the holder to support and guide the tube, and mechanism for actuating said last-named means to insert the tube held in the tube holder into a heel in the heel holder.

3. In a machine for driving tubes into heels, a heel holder and gage, a rod-like member arranged to enter the interior of a tube and to support an inside wall thereof, a tube indenting tool, and a tube driver arranged to carry a tube past the indenting tool and into a heel in the heel holder.

4. In a machine for driving tubes into heels, heel holding means, tube holding means, means arranged to enter the interior of a tube and to support an inside wall thereof, a tube indenting means and a tube driving means arranged to operate in timed relation, and to indent a tube while it is under the control of the driving means.

5. In a machine for driving tubes into heels, a raceway, a transferring member for receiving tubes from the raceway and placing them in driving position, heel holding means, a driver arranged to drive a tube from driving position in the transferring means into a heel in the heel holding means, and a retaining member for preventing accidental movement of a tube from the transferring member when in driving position.

6. In a machine for driving tubes into heels, a raceway, a transferer for receiving tubes from the raceway and placing them in driving position, heel holding means, a driver arranged to drive a tube from driving position in the transferer into a heel in the heel holding means, a tube indenting tool, and mechanism for operating said transferer, driving means and indenting tool automatically in timed relation.

7. In a machine for driving tubes into heels, means for receiving a tube and holding it in driving position, a heel support, a heel positioning means movable to engage the top-lift end of a heel, and a driver arranged to move a tube from driving position into a heel in the positioning means.

8. In a machine for driving tubes into. heels, means for receiving a tube and moving it to driving position, a heel positioning means movable to engage the top-hit end of a heel, and a driver arranged to guide and move a tube from driving position into a heel in the positioning means.

9. In a machine for driving tubes into heels, means for receiving a tube and holding it in driving position, a heel support, a heel positioning means movable to engage the top-lift end of a heel, a driver arranged to move a tube from driving position into a heel in the positioning means, and operating mechanism for moving said positioning means and driver automatically in timed relation.

10. In a machine for driving tubes into heels,

means for receiving a tube and moving it to driving position, a heel positioning means movable to engage a heel, a driver arranged to carry a tube from driving position in the receiving means into a heel, indenting means arranged to indent the tube, and operating mechanism for moving'said receiving means, positioning means, driver and indenting means automatically in 'timed relation.

ll. In a machine for driving tubes into heels, a tube driver having a reduced portion arranged to enter a tube and to support an interior wall of the tube, and a tube indenting tool arranged to indent the tube while its said wall is supported by the reduced portion.

12. In a machine for driving tubes into heels, a tube driver having a shoulder and a reduced portion beyond the shoulder arranged to fit'the interior of a tube to be driven and to support an inside wall of the tube, said reduced portion having a depression, and an indenting means arranged to press on an outside wall of the tube opposite to said depression, to form an indentation in the said tube Wall.

13. In a machine for driving tubes into heels, a tube driver having a shoulder and a reduced portion beyond the shoulder arranged to fit the interior of a tube to be driven to support an inside Wall of the tube, said reduced portion having a depression, .an indenting tool arranged e to press on an outside wall of the tube opposite said depression, to form an indentation in the said tube wall, and power mechanism for moving said driver and indenting tool automatically in timed relation, to effect said indentation during movement of the driver.

14. In a machine for driving tubes into heels, a heel holding means, a tube driver having a portion adapted to determine the position of the following end of a tube after being driven, an indenting tool arranged to form an indentation in the tube, and an adjusting means whereby the relation of the indentation to the following end of the tube may be determined.

15. In a machine for driving tubes into heels, a heel holding means, a driver having an abutment to contact with the following end of a tube to be driven, an indenting tool arranged to move transversely to the line of action of the driver, and means for relatively timing the movements of the abutment and of the indenting tool to determine the distance of the indentation from the following end of the tube.

16. In a machine for driving tubes into heels, a heel holding means, a driver having a shoulder to contact with the following end of a tube to be driven, .an indenting tool arranged to move transversely to the line of action of the driver, and means for relatively timing the movements of the shoulder and of the indenting tool to determine the distance of the indentation from the following end of the tool, the heel holding means being adjustable toward and from the driver to locate the top-lift end of a heel thereon relatively to the driven position of the following end of the tube.

1'7. In a machine for driving tubes into heels, a tube driver having a shoulder and a reduced portion beyond the shoulder arranged to fit the interior of a tube to be driven and to support an inside wall of the tube, said reduced portion having a depression, and an indenting tool arranged to press on an outside wall of the tube opposite said depression, to form an indentation in the said tube wall, said driver and iniii denting tool being movable to effect said indentation in a predeterminedly limited portion of said tube wall.

18. In a machine for driving tubes into heels, a member for receiving a tube and moving it to driving position having an aperture, one wall of said aperture being straight, and the other wall ,-of said aperture being straight through a portion a said member having a recess having a reduced I portion arranged to fit a tube to be driven and having a straight wall extending into the unreduced portion, and forming a wall thereof, another wall of the unreduced portion joining a second wall of the reduced portion and diverging therefrom, said other wall having an abutment arranged to support a tube clear of the position occupied by a preceding tube in the reduced portion.

20. In a machine for driving tubes into heels, 7 a rotating transfer member for receiving tubes and moving them to driving position formed as a cylinder one end of which has a Y-shaped recess, one'side of the Y being straight and the angular side of the Y having a shoulder to support a tube against falling into the straight portion of the recess when the transfer member is holding the preceding tube in driving position, and

arranged, when the cylinder is rotated to receiving position, to move from engagement with the said first-named tube and to permit it to move into the leg of the Y.

21. In a machine 'for driving tubes into heels,-

a raceway, a rotating transfer member having a Y-shaped recess, one side of the Y being straight, said transfer member being movable between a position in which the straight side of the Y is in line with the raceway and a position in which the diverging branch of the Y is in line with the .3 raceway, the diverging branch having a shoulder arranged to receive and hold a tube out of the straight part of the Y in the second-described position of the transfer member, and to move from engagement with the tube in the first-deg,

scribed position of the transfer member.

lying toward the heel beveled, and means for moving the said members into contact with the top-lift end of the heel, whereby contact with the said top-lift end will spread the said members, additionally stress the resilient means, and cause the said members to grip the heel. 5 23. In a machine for operating upon heels, an abutment arranged to engage the attaching face of a heel, and a holding means comprising a plate carrying between it and a heel to be operated on a V-shaped member and a second mem- 3o ber opposite the open end of the V-shaped member, resilient means forcing said members together, said members being thus resiliently relatively movable from each other under pressure, and having their edges lying toward the heel bev- 35 eled, and means for moving the said members into contact with the top-lift end of the heel, whereby contact with the said top-lift end will spread the said members, additionally stress the resilient means, and cause the said members to 40 grip the heel and permit the heel to be clamped by the plate. a

. FRANK T. GENTILE. 

